Military Railway Service Transportation Corps - United States Army - Wall calendar dated 1945. 12 monthly leaves, each with a wartime train photograph, starting with destruction and then rebuilding. Most photographs are in Italy with a few in France.

More from Ludovic ....I have now to write about old ROB soldiers which are preserved in our country : in this case, the steam locomotives type 060 same as the one shown with Mr Julian PETERS in Dreux station in 44. FRANCE bought 77 locomotives of this type in 1946 and they were called "030 TU" in the French specifications.
There are two survivors of this time : the N° USA TC WD 4383, built in 1943 by DAVENPORT, is now in a railway museum in Longueville, near Paris, restored in its military livery and running, by the association named "AJECTA". The other one (USA TC WD 6102) built by HK PORTER from PITTSBURGH, in 1943, is always in Normandy ; I took photos of it in CAEN city, in 1988 and since 1996, it is preserved by an association "ACF", located in PONT-ERAMBOURG, in their railway museum. But it is not yet restored nor running : the association has not enough money to do this work and is awaiting for a sponsoring to help ! (photos joined)- We don't forget old US iron Soldiers !

Links:

The 4383 is in the living steam museum of AJECTA
Association, in LONGUEVILLE, near PARIS, the site is : www.ajecta.fr ; they
also have a Facebook page and videos in YouTube ; the 6102 is a Normandy rail
museum, in PONT-ERAMBOURG, near CAEN, their site is :
www.rails-collinesnormandes.fr ; also videos of them in YouTube (thanks Ludovic)

Very interesting note from Ludovic in France about the 723rd ROB in France and their trucks.

My name is Ludovic; I am a Frenchman and live in Normandy, 15 miles West from DREUX city. I was always interested in military history and, because my grandfather Maurice was a rail worker from 1922 to 1960 in the area Dreux-Verneuil sur Avre,
I discovered, years ago, that it was the 723 rd ROB who was in charge of our railway line.

Many times, I've read the saga of this unit in your blog, and ten years ago, my son Geoffrey and I, bought a 1944 GMC tipper truck with the intention to restore it and give it markings of the 723 rd, to maintain its memory here. The nicknames of our truck is "Alamo" and "Georges"(an uncle of mine which was soldier during and
after WW2).
So, our truck is running since this year. I've read that it was the "A" company of the 723 rd who used some trucks as it, but how may, I don't know...?

So, the markings are to be completed with truck/company n°.
Enclosed, photos of us and another from the 1944 era in Normandy.
I hope this will be of interest for you and old friends of America. very sincerely yours, Ludovic

From Guy in Belgium
...
With 100% certainty, the above picture was taken at the large Antwerp railyard called “Antwerpen-Dam” in Belgium.
The partial gantry in the top right corner was part of a hugh coaling crane. This was demolished late sixties when there where no steamtrains located there anymore. The engineshed is still standing but the 2 large chimneys have gone. The hugh building behind is also standing. This whole area has been turned into a leisure park a few years back with fountains and summer bars and the like. Just off picture on the right, behind the coaling installation, an old engine shed has been turned into a posh restaurant. The area had such rich railway history but nothing is left visible. An offer by the railcompany to display a locomotive has been turned down by the city architects.
Google earth image today...

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If you have any materials connected to these great Army Railway units please share them here with the families of the soldiers. If you are a collector or memorabilia dealer PLEASE share copies or scans of items BEFORE you sell these priceless materials to private collectors . I will hold the copies until after they sell. It means so much to the families of the guy's that actually served in these units.

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